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Pharmaceutics
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Advances in Bioactive Peptides from Natural Sources: Characterization, Biological Targets...
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Advances in Bioactive Peptides from Natural Sources: Characterization, Biological Targets and Promising Applications

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Biologics and Biosimilars".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2024) | Viewed by 2534

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniel Dias Rufino Arcanjo

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Guest Editor
LAFMOL–Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Studies in Physiopharmacology, Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina 64049-550, Brazil
Interests: bioactive peptides; cardiovascular; diabetes; dyslipidemia; endothelium; hypertension; medicinal plants; natural products; pharmacology; preclinical toxicology; vasorelaxant
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. José Roberto de Souza de Almeida Leite

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Guest Editor
Research Center in Applied Morphology and Immunology (NuPMIA), Faculty of Medicine (FM), University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil
Interests: biotechnology; bionanotechnology; bioprospection; biomolecules; health and environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alexandra Plácido

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Interests: secondary metabolites; natural antioxidants; in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models; structure–activity relationship; natural product chemistry; oxidative stress and antioxidant defense; free-radical-mediated chain reactions; extraction and separation methods; antioxidant ingredients and biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Venomous animals are considered specialized predators which have developed the most sophisticated apparatus regarding the chemistry and pharmacology of bioactive peptides, with a wide range of toxins with incredible structural and functional diversity and directed against a variety of pharmacological targets and with potential therapeutic applications. For example, studies on the pathophysiological mechanisms of envenoming and molecular characterization of toxins from the Bothrops jararaca snake venom resulted in the relevant discovery of bradykinin and bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs), recognized by the first natural inhibitors of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and model for the development of captopril, the first ACE inhibitor and the first commercially available drug for the treatment of arterial hypertension. In this sense, several peptides obtained from the venoms of amphibians, snakes, scorpions, and spiders have been reported in the literature as important bioactive compounds with important pharmacological effects and potential therapeutic applications. The aim of this Special Issue is to report current advances in bioactive peptides from natural sources, focusing on their characterization, biological targets, and promising applications. We are pleased to invite you to submit original research articles and reviews. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the discovery and characterization of novel bioactive peptides, including pharmacological studies and development of bioproducts.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Daniel Arcanjo
Prof. Dr. José Roberto de Souza de Almeida Leite
Dr. Alexandra Plácido
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioactivity
  • synthesis
  • pharmacology
  • toxicology
  • immunogenicity
  • snake venom
  • scorpion venom
  • skin secretion
  • nanoparticles
  • bioassays

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4509 KiB  
Article
First Insights about Antiparasitic and Action Mechanisms of the Antimicrobial Peptide Hepcidin from Salmonids against Caligus rogercresseyi
by Paula A. Santana, Camila Arancibia, Laura Tamayo, Juan Pablo Cumillaf, Tanya Roman, Constanza Cárdenas, Cinthya Paillan Suarez, Claudio A. Álvarez and Fanny Guzman
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(3), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16030378 - 08 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Currently, one of the primary challenges in salmon farming is caligidosis, caused by the copepod ectoparasites Caligus spp. The infection process is determined by the copepod’s ability to adhere to the fish skin through the insertion of its chitin-composed filament. In this study, [...] Read more.
Currently, one of the primary challenges in salmon farming is caligidosis, caused by the copepod ectoparasites Caligus spp. The infection process is determined by the copepod’s ability to adhere to the fish skin through the insertion of its chitin-composed filament. In this study, we examined several antimicrobial peptides previously identified in salmonid mucosal secretions, with a primary focus on their potential to bind to chitin as an initial step. The binding capacity to chitin was tested, with hepcidin and piscidin showing positive results. Further assessments involving cytotoxicity in salmonid cells RTgill-W1, SHK-1, RTS-11, and RT-gut indicated that the peptides did not adversely affect cell viability. However, hemolysis assays unveiled the hemolytic capacity of piscidin at lower concentrations, leading to the selection of hepcidin for antiparasitic assays. The results demonstrated that the nauplius II stage of C. rogercresseyi exhibited higher susceptibility to hepcidin treatments, achieving a 50% reduction in parasitic involvement at 50 µM. Utilizing fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, we observed the localization of hepcidin on the surface of the parasite, inducing significant spherical protuberances along the exoskeleton of C. rogercresseyi. These findings suggest that cysteine-rich AMPs derived from fish mucosa possess the capability to alter the development of the chitin exoskeleton in copepod ectoparasites, making them therapeutic targets to combat recurrent parasitic diseases in salmon farming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioactive Peptides from Natural Sources: Characterization, Biological Targets and Promising Applications)
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19 pages, 4524 KiB  
Article
Antiviral Action against SARS-CoV-2 of a Synthetic Peptide Based on a Novel Defensin Present in the Transcriptome of the Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra)
by Ana Luisa A. N. Barros, Vladimir C. Silva, Atvaldo F. Ribeiro-Junior, Miguel G. Cardoso, Samuel R. Costa, Carolina B. Moraes, Cecília G. Barbosa, Alex P. Coleone, Rafael P. Simões, Wanessa F. Cabral, Raul M. Falcão, Andreanne G. Vasconcelos, Jefferson A. Rocha, Daniel D. R. Arcanjo, Augusto Batagin-Neto, Tatiana Karla S. Borges, João Gonçalves, Guilherme D. Brand, Lucio H. G. Freitas-Junior, Peter Eaton, Mariela Marani, Massuo J. Kato, Alexandra Plácido and José Roberto S. A. Leiteadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(2), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16020190 - 29 Jan 2024
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Abstract
The potential emergence of zoonotic diseases has raised significant concerns, particularly in light of the recent pandemic, emphasizing the urgent need for scientific preparedness. The bioprospection and characterization of new molecules are strategically relevant to the research and development of innovative drugs for [...] Read more.
The potential emergence of zoonotic diseases has raised significant concerns, particularly in light of the recent pandemic, emphasizing the urgent need for scientific preparedness. The bioprospection and characterization of new molecules are strategically relevant to the research and development of innovative drugs for viral and bacterial treatment and disease management. Amphibian species possess a diverse array of compounds, including antimicrobial peptides. This study identified the first bioactive peptide from Salamandra salamandra in a transcriptome analysis. The synthetic peptide sequence, which belongs to the defensin family, was characterized through MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Molecular docking assays hypothesized the interaction between the identified peptide and the active binding site of the spike WT RBD/hACE2 complex. Although additional studies are required, the preliminary evaluation of the antiviral potential of synthetic SS-I was conducted through an in vitro cell-based SARS-CoV-2 infection assay. Additionally, the cytotoxic and hemolytic effects of the synthesized peptide were assessed. These preliminary findings highlighted the potential of SS-I as a chemical scaffold for drug development against COVID-19, hindering viral infection. The peptide demonstrated hemolytic activity while not exhibiting cytotoxicity at the antiviral concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioactive Peptides from Natural Sources: Characterization, Biological Targets and Promising Applications)
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